A Simple, At Home Experiment You Can Do, To Prove Masks Work.

Hi there!

I love doing experiments with my students and making learning interactive. So I had this realization when I was outside yesterday freezing my butt off in the cold. You can do this at home to prove masks work.

People like to point out COVID is smaller than fabrics on a mask. But the problem is that's not how airborne viruses spread. They spread on airborne water (like spit) when you breath out. So what masks do is keep the water particles and other airborne particles with the virus from spreading, rather than the Virus itself. Think of Masks like no gas in a car. You can walk to a store, but it's a lot longer and slower than without a car. Stopping the virus is about stopping the flow of water particles in the air. So how can we prove masks stop the flow of airborne articles? Well what happens to water when it gets really cold out? You can see your breath!

Here's what you do. Stand outside in the cold without a mask on, and start breathing in and out. Count the number of times you can see your breath, and note how well you can see your breath too. Do this about 20 times, and record your results Then put a mask on. Repeat the steps of breathing in and out 20 times, and record your results. You should see your breath less with the mask on, than the mask off.